A Retrieved Reformation
by Celestial Night
Summary: JoeyxMai [Set in Victorian Era] He finally returned to town, and he came with a goal in mind, but what happens when an obstacle stands in his way? An obstacle that reforms his life forever....
1. Foreshadowing

A Retrieved Reformation

First of all, the original story "A Retrieved Reformation" is a work completely written by O. Henry. He wrote the beautiful story; I'm just making a parody about it.

Another thing, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Takahashi the genius created it, and he deserves all the credit. Don't sue me!

This fic is set in the Victorian Era.

So, I decided to try my luck at a Joey/Mai fic. I hope that this fic works out better than "Really And Truly,". My close friends know how much I adore this couple because they hear me constantly talk about it.

I hope you enjoy!

.::.

"Calista Bolidaman!" The young Serenity Wheeler shrieked as she ran up to the young, blonde-haired girl that was holding the remains of paper dolls in her hands. "I turn my back for two minutes, and you rip up my dolls?" The auburn-haired child asked in disbelief.

"What?" Calista Bolidaman asked as she looked at the shredded paper in her hands, "Are you talking about _these_.... _dolls_ that I ripped? Personally," she gave a sharp look in Serenity's direction, "I think I did you a favor. These paper beings looked like conjoined twins." Calista held up the tiny pieces of paper in her hands in a level in front of Serenity's face. The young Serenity Wheeler outstretched her hands to grab the pieces, but quickly drew them back for she knew that any efforts to persuade Bolidaman would be futile.

Serenity Wheeler and Calista Bolidaman....Two very different eight-year-old girls. In fact, they very much dislike each other, but what could they do? Calista was more of a bully than a friend to Serenity, and because of her "bullyness," Calista had no friends. As for poor Serenity Wheeler, well, she was too shy to talk to anyone else, so she hung around with Calista who was the only one who even noticed her.

"Those were for my mother," Serenity mumbled as she lowered her head, "They were supposed to make her feel good."

"Where were you, anyway?" Calista asked Serenity as she stared at the broken papers in her hands.

"Doesn't matter," Serenity surprisingly snapped as her eyes went up to Bolidaman's face, "I left my dolls on the table, and you ripped them?"

"Stop changing the subject," Calista ordered, "Tell me where you were. You were gone for a while." Serenity's eyes squinted at Bolidaman.

Like a black-and-white film going rapidly in motion, the events of a few minutes ago started playing in the young Wheeler's mind. These were taunting and cruel memories, and she dare not repeat them to Bolidaman.

.::. Flashback.::.

Serenity Wheeler rushed through the crowds of the boys that were in the higher grades. She knew that she wasn't allowed to be in this part of the playground, but the noises she heard.... Well, let's just say that she had to confirm them.

She did not like the fact that she recognized the voice that was shouting all the way from the girls' playground. She was worried, to say the understatement of the century.

She pushed herself through the jeering of the boys that were enthusiastically watching this event that Serenity feared would be what she thought it was. If she could depict screams correctly, and if the noises that she heard were true, than she would have to pray for help.

"Go, Kaiba! Beat him up!" She heard one amused boy scream from the eye of the crowd. Serenity, using the very advanced knowledge of her eight-year-old brain thought for a moment. _They were cheering Kaiba on!_

"Dear lord," Serenity breathed to herself as she squeezed through the boys that were blocking her way. The boys instantly parted mostly because they were of the Victorian Era, and they had some respect for a woman. Another reason probably could've been that they wanted to see the look on her face when she saw exactly what was going on.

"Say it!" The ten-year-old boy names Seto Kaiba ordered the boy of his same age as he stepped onto his back harder.

"Neva'!" Joey Wheeler answered as he felt more dirt in his mouth. Joey Wheeler.... Once again trying to be the hero by standing up to the strongest boy in the school. Except for the fact that his pride wasn't lowered as much as Kaiba hoped, Joey wasn't in too good of a position right now. You see, at the moment, Seto Kaiba had Joey on the soil of the boys' playground with his mouth pressed against the dirt and Kaiba's foot pushed forcefully onto Joey's back.

"Say it, I'm only gonna ask you one more time nicely," Seto Kaiba tantalized as Joey felt the pressure on his back increase.

"I told you, Moneybags, dat I ain't sayin' nothin' because I am betta' than ya!" Joey valiantly mumbled with as much courage as he could muster up with a handful of dirt filling his mouth.

It took a while for Kaiba to understand what Joey had said due to the fact that it was rather difficult to understand someone who had dirt fully occupying their mouth, but he eventually did and started to reply strictly:

"Is that so? That's gotta be the lamest excu-"

"Joey!" Serenity screamed as she forced herself through the entertained group of boys that were happily cheering on the fight that was going on.

"Serenity?" Joey asked as he heard his sister's voice. Of course, he couldn't quite get a good look at her because his mobility was a bit limited due to the fact that his head was practically jammed into the earth like a stick. But, nevertheless, he was still even more anxious when he heard his sibling's voice, for he couldn't let Serenity see him like this.

The poor little Wheeler girl had her eyes glistening with signs of worry as she tried to go through the boys that were purposely blocking her way to her brother. [The boys knew that Serenity would cease the fight, and they would not let her end their fun.]

"This is awesome!" Kaiba exclaimed as he looked to the little Wheeler who was being barricaded from Joey by a wall of boys' arms. "I get to humiliate you in front of your sister!" The young Seto Kaiba had this beyond joyful expression on that told the whole world that this was sheer amusement for him.

"Please don't!" Serenity begged as she desperately squeezed through the wall of arms, but she did fail terribly. "How'd you like it if someone decided to hurt your own brother in front of you?" She asked as lines of prohibiting arms covered the view of Serenity's face.

Now, what Serenity had just asked triggered a few thoughts in Kaiba's mind. If anyone dared to pick on his little brother, Mokuba, then they made a grave mistake. No one was to mess with the Kaiba family, and Seto Kaiba was out to enforce that rule strictly.

Not that he cared about what Joey or any other pathetic Wheeler said to him, it's just that he'd be furious if someone decided to pick on Mokuba.

Like for a split-second, Kaiba actually cared about whether or not Serenity was hurt by the present scene, but he erased this care as instantly as it came. _Wheelers were little dogs to him, and he wouldn't care about any of their troubles if his life depended on it: They just weren't worth it._

"You know, Wheeler," Kaiba snapped as he dug his foot harder into Joey's back, "I'm not gonna make you say 'it' today, but wait till tomorrow." He looked down at Joey, who was mumbling something angrily at Kaiba, but it was obviously incomprehensible for he did have his head rammed into the soil. "You see," Kaiba started explaining as he tapped Joey's fidgeting head with his foot, "there was almost no challenge today out of you. But rest assure: I want one tomorrow."

And then, the mighty Seto Kaiba actually did something that disappointed most of the enthusiastically waiting boys: He removed his pushed foot away from Joey's back, and slowly, as if not expecting a comeback from Joey for a long time, moved away. _Smirking slightly as he did so....._

Before Joey could actually remove his face from the gooey, dirty mud, most of the viewers already left the scene for they were extremely depressed that they wouldn't be able to witness today the beating up of Joey Wheeler. So with rolled eyes and heavy sighs, the spectators left that section of the playground alone to the still-smirking Kaiba, the still-has-face-in-mud Joey, and the scared little Serenity who was finally able to get to her brother now that the barricade of boys' arms had released her.

"I expected better out of you, Joey," Kaiba explained as she observed the restless little boy who, with a loud POP! pulled his face out of the mud. "sigh But then again, I was probably expecting too much out of you to in the first place...." He cut himself off as he remembered that he had more important things to do than to taunt Joey Wheeler. {Even though it was sheer amusement for him}

"Joey!" Serenity cried, ignoring anything that Seto Kaiba had to say, as she ran up to the boy who had just pulled a mud-splotched face out of the ground. "I'm so glad you're all right!" She exclaimed as she covered his neck with her hug of arms.

"Of course I'm all right!" Said Joey as he winked at his happy little sibling. "An' ya didn't hafta worry in da first place eitha'." He shifted his direction to the interestingly-watching Seto Kaiba, "'Cause he really is scared that I can take him on any day of the week, any game, anywhere! An' I'll always win, too." He reassuringly smiled at his sister who didn't really care who won any fight as long as her brother was safe.

"Is that so?" Kaiba angrily asked as he looked at Joey who was still perched like an immobile infant on the dirt. "Make note of it, you Wheeler, that I am superior to you. I always was, and I always will be. Your place is to grovel at my feet, and the next time I expect a halfway decent from you is in about ten years, when you'll somewhat represent a man," Kaiba foreshadowed, "Then again, I do doubt your manhood-"

"Ignore him, Joey," Serenity sweetly said as she hugged her brother even harder. "I think you're better than he is, and who cares about what the rest of the world thinks?"

"You're right, Serenity," Joey agreed as he looked with a disgusted face in Kaiba's direction, "What kinda jerk is 'superior' when he has no friends?" Joey reminded Kaiba of exactly how much "respect" he really had because if friends were the representatives of that respect, then he apparently needed to redo his calculations.

"Whatever," Kaiba mumbled as he started to turn to leave, just imagining what kind of chaos he'd bring to Joey tomorrow just because he said that. Oh, and one more thing, he'd make sure that Serenity was there to witness the whole beating...

.::.End Flashback.::.

"Hello! Earth to Serenity!" Calista yelled as she frantically waved her hand in front of Serenity's remembrance-filled face.

Serenity's eyes seemed to return to reality, and she looked at Bolidaman with much pride in herself. "I came back here because I figured that you were going to do something to the paper dolls that I made for my mother," she explained like a master scolding a rude dog. Calista scowled.

"Like I give about what happened to the dolls! I wanna know why Seto stopped the fight!" She whined, surprising Serenity by giving away the information that she _knew_ about the fight.

"How'd you know about the fight?" Serenity asked with a bit of shock and anger and humiliation trickling in her voice.

"The playground's like ten feet away from us," Calista explained as she pointed her finger towards the boys' playing field that was less than four yards away. "I _would've_ found out eventually."

"Are you sure that you're allowed to call him 'Seto'?" Serenity asked, quickly changing the subject, "He doesn't allow anyone to call him that."

"Well, we're on a first-name basis," Calista bragged as she started to proudly rock back-and-forth on her spotless Mary Jane shoes.

"Since WHEN?" Serenity asked as she tried to comprehend how stupid Bolidaman was.

"Well, we're going to get married one day, and I thought that I should might as well start calling him 'Seto' from now," she beamed as she smiled with a falsely-risen ego.

"_You_ think that _you're _gonna marry Seto Kaiba?" Serenity asked with a bit of amusement on her voice as she tried to cover the giggles that were tickling in her throat.

"Just because _you_ don't have a shot at Seto Kaiba EVER, does not mean that you must try to depress me." Calista presaged as her scowl deepened into a pure look of hatred.

"Whatever you say..." Serenity responded as she stared around herself, trying to find a reason to blame her amusedly loud giggles on.

Calista and Serenity...Two very smart girls, but each in a different way.... But you'll more of that later in the story.

.::..::..::..::.

Joey Wheeler sat on a tree stump as he tried to clean the dried dirt off of his shoes. "I'm gonna kill Kaiba one day, then he'll see," he thought as he whistled a tune with an evil-connotation. "Everybody will look up to me: The guy that finally aught Kaiba a lesson!" He smiled evilly as he thought about dancing on Seto Kaiba's grave.

"Now, Joseph, that's a terrible thing to say about people, even Kaiba," came a feminine voice from behind Joey.

Joey's eyes raised a little, but they quickly relaxed and he smelled the aroma of freshly-picked lavenders surrounding him.

"Hi, Mai," Joey mumbled as he recognized the voice without even turning around to respectfully greet the girl.

In an instant, a girl with beautifully sparkling blonde hair and amethyst-radiating eyes appeared to the side of Joey with a small smile on her face. She smelled of the softest lavender, and her emanating purple dress gave Joey a pinch of the color purple through the color of his eye.

"I saw the fight," she whispered with a strange glow in her eyes.

"Congratulations," Joey sarcastically muttered as he nervously started fidgeting with a shoelace.

"I think that you performed quite well, and that you can take on and beat any other boy in this town," she explained as she smiled happily, her figure coming closer to Joey by slowly sitting next to him on the tree stump.

"Well," said Joey as he vigorously finished tying the two relentless shoelaces on his boot, "I don't care about any other boy, I care about beatin' Kaiba. An' incase ya didn't know, I can do that too.... I just let him off easy today," Joey clarified as he gave Mai a serious look, but realized that he couldn't keep that look for long when she was around him.

"I know you can." Once again, she smiled proudly at him, "And I'll be right there cheering you on when you do. You'll defeat him in any game, anytime, anywhere."

Mai could've sworn that she heard Joey mumbles a low "Thanks," or she might've just heard the wind rustle in a strange way with a New York accent.

"What're are ya anyway, my pep squad?" Joey asked as he looked to Mai with a desultory expression on.

"No...." Mai explained as she quickly jumped off the tree stump, startling Joey, "but they are." She pointed a finger to the marching quartet of Yugi Mouto, Téa Gardner, Tristan Taylor, and Duke Devlin came into view just about five yards away.

Joey looked behind him and he saw his best friends in the whole world probably coming to sheer him up right now, and they'd say that Kaiba was a real jerk and that Joey could defeat him anytime that he wanted to.

"Good-bye, Joseph!" Mai said as she quickly dashed off to the girls' courtyard only about ten feet's distance away.

Joey didn't really pay attention to the fact that Mai was leaving, he just wanted to hear the cheering-up comments that his friends would give him in a few seconds' time.

.:..:.

"Joey! That was awful! How could you let him pulverize you like that?!" The foursome exclaimed as they, after some time, reached Joey, causing Joey to roll his eyes in anger and displeasure.

.::.

Meanwhile, Mai watched as Joey scolded the group of four for being so inconsiderate.... And she was very amused by this.

Standing beneath the shade of a precious cherry blossom tree, Mai took in the cool breeze as fallen petal leaped around her.

She adored it when Joey's nose got scrunched up when he was furious and she simply cherished the passionate fire that ignited when he talked about his ambitious plans of winning victory over Kaiba.

She couldn't wait to talk to him tomorrow, or later today, or whenever was the next time she had the chance to start a conversation with him, _but..._

Little did Mai know that after today, she wouldn't see Joey for an excruciatingly _very_ long time.............

.::..::..::.

Good? Beyond awful? Delete as soon as possible?

Honest opinions people, please!

R/R! I sincerely hope that it didn't undeniably suck!

$$$$$$$$$$$$$Tootles,

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$Celestial Night


	2. A Fork In The Road

Chapter Two: A Fork In The Road

Thanks for the reviews....umm...They were _nice_! .

pisces14071: No way! Calista Bolidaman is not my name, but she is my trademark Yu-Gi-Oh! character. And, with much controversy, there is a specific reason on why I decided to put her into this fic, but her real importance is in "Really And Truly".....HintHint Thanks for reviewing!

moocow33: Thanks for reviewing! There aren't enough Joey/Mai fics out there, are there? That's unfair, so I decided to write one dedicated to one of my favorite couples....I hope you really like this story!

Melodylink: LOL Thanks for reviewing!

Luthien-Anwaman: Thanks for reviewing, and good guess on what's gonna happen in the this chapter....

Lina567: I hope that you like this fic....It wasn't so popular, I guess, at first, but I seem to have luck with second chapters! Thanks for reviewing!

Moonlite Goddess: Aside from the fact that you're my cousin....You actually managed to review. LOL Thanks

DayDreamerz: You like this fic? I'm glad.....And if you think that Bolidaman has got to sort out her priorities in THIS fic, you should read my Seto/Serenity fic... :_shudders_: LOL Thanks for reviewing!

Once again, O. Henry created "A Retrieved Reformation," I'm just making a parody out of it.

I also don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! But I do own Calista Bolidaman....Yeah, I know, I really don't own much.

.:..:.:..:.:..:.:..:.:..:.:..:.:..:.:..:.:..:.:..:.

Joey was still cleaning some dirt off of his shoes when he heard the dismissal bell ring. He looked away from his shoes quickly to see if Serenity was ready to go home, and sure enough, there she was all cute and adorable. Joey watched her as she was putting on her little blue coat while managing holding onto two....Erm...rather disheveled paper dolls in her hands.

Joey couldn't help but simply smile at the way she was cradling the two dolls that were most likely made for their mother. She was keeping them safe, while putting on her little blue coat, from all harm that could've touched them (including the shredders/Bolidaman's hands).

"Joey!" Mai called, interrupting Joey's proud thoughts of his sister, "Hey, Joey!"

Joey shifted his direction to his right side, and he saw Mai Valentine frantically waving her hand in the air while trying to get his attention. She was standing under a cherry blossom tree, and she was a good few yards away so the only way Joey could've heard [Due to all the children's excited noises about the school day finally being over] her was if she raised her voice a tad bit.

Joey noticed the striking lilac overcoat that she wore, and he couldn't help but shift a few hues redder.

"Whaddya want, Mai?" Joey replied as he cupped his hands over his mouth.

"The weather's looking bad, so I figured that you and Serenity would like a ride home," She answered as she pointed her finger up to the threatening black clouds that were taunting the children of the playground.

You see, Mai's father was a rich man, a good man, but an extremely, filthily, abnormally, unbelievably LOADED man.

In these times that our stars were living in, not every little kid was fortunate enough to have a carriage carry them around to every destination that they had to reach.....So it wouldn't be uncommon to see practically 99% of the school's children walk home, despite how brutal the weather was.

Not many children in the school had a carriage to take them home like the wealthy Seto Kaiba and Mai Valentine did. But Mai Valentine, unlike Seto Kaiba, was sweet enough to offer her friends a ride home while Kaiba laughed as he boarded his carriage while laughing hysterically at the "fools" who had to walk home...

Joey thought for a second, and it was a very short second that he thought, but he did alas answer:

"No, thank you, Mai. Me and Serenity are gonna walk home!" He called back with his hands still cupped firmly over his mouth so that Mai could hear him loud and clear.

Mai, who did hear Joey very well, pursed her lips together for a second, and she barely mouthed to herself, "Why not?"

Joey waved a good-bye signal to Mai, who seemed to be mumbling to herself, and he started searching in every direction (except his right) to find his sister.

"Serenity! Come on! We have to get home soon," he called as his head anxiously shook from all that searching.

But soon, like a second after he called her name, he could smell her smooth rosy skin near him....

"I'm right here, silly," his sister's voice said (from Joey's right). "Do you wanna know how mean Calista is?"

Joey sighed a sign of relief as he turned around to his sister who was still guarding the two barely-bonded paper dolls. He looked at his adorable little sister with her little petticoat on snugly around her.

Although Joey loved the site of his little sister's face when he saw her preparing to go home, he had no choice but to scowl in confusion when he saw the look upon her face.

Her happy face went into a look of such an anger that Joey was surprised to see his own sister like this.

"What did Calista do?" Joey asked, remembering that she had come to him complaining about how mean Calista Bolidaman was.

And so Serenity started complaining about every little bit and piece that Bolidaman could've possibly done to her. She complained about her paper dolls, that one time where Calista used up all the pink crayon, that incident in which Calista "accidentally" kicked dirt in Serenity's face, last year when Calista snipped the ribbon of Serenity's new and only doll because she thought it was uneven, the moment when Calista told everybody that she only talked to Serenity because she was a poor, needy orphan that hardly bathed and desperately needed some attention etc.....

And this...erm....Calista-Complaint session lasted a good deal into Joey and Serenity's walk home....

It's too bad that Serenity wasted one of her final moments with her brother by complaining when she really should've been, as she would find out soon, telling him how much it meant to her that he was her brother.....

"The weather's starting to look bad," Serenity told Joey as she stared aimlessly at the clouds above her that were starting to swirl ever so slowly yet vehemently at the same time. "We better get home soon or Mom will worry."

Joey, who was beyond relieved that Serenity was finally through with her inordinately long list of complaints, nodded his head in agreement as he slightly pushed Serenity's shoulder forward, telling her to quicken her pace.

Serenity outstretched her legs trying to cover more distance, but every time she managed to get a glimpse of her torn paper dolls, she couldn't help but think about Bolidaman and her stupidity level which increased daily.

"And do you know what Bolidaman believes?" Serenity asked, causing Joey to sigh, as she looked down at her two remaining paper dolls, "She thinks--as in she actually believes-- that she will one day marry, and I mean MARRY Seto Kaiba! What a loser!"

"I pity the girl who wants ta marry Kaiba," Joey mumbled as he shook his head in disappointment, a bit happy that he could swiftly change the subject to a bit of Seto Kaiba bashing...

"Yeah, as if he _didn't _get like twelve boxes of chocolate everyday from girls," Serenity said as she looked to her older brother, "Bolidaman thinks that Kaiba will choose her out of all those girls....And...."

Joey wondered about what else Serenity had to say about this topic, for she hesitated and bit her tongue as if she questioned whether or not to say such a thing.

"And? Come on! Ya left me hangin'!" Joey complained as he informed Serenity that he wanted to hear whatever it was that she had to say.

The two Wheelers hurried themselves up for Joey felt a rather viciously falling raindrop in his nose, and Serenity could feel them pinpricking her hair.

Serenity looked to her brother with the same hesitant look upon her face. It was almost like Serenity wondered if she could let Joey in on a little secret....

"And," Serenity said slowly, "Seto Kaiba is a **_MEAN JERK _**who thinks that beating up innocent people is fun...and....and...I hope he gets what he deserves.....And...and....nobody in their _right_ mind would ever want to marry him!" She really contradicted herself actually, when she said that last part about nobody ever wanting to marry him......

Serenity bit her lip as she finished her fuming statement and looked up at her brother. She was perfectly positive that Joey would scold her for using such rude language {mean, jerk...} to address a _boy_, but there was no way that she would let Seto Kaiba bully her brother around anymore without her saying something...

Joey returned Serenity's stare with a disapproving look on his face.

"Serenity," Joey started to say as he continued walking alongside his sister, "I did not approve of dat voice you used," he tried to speak solemnly without his New York accent interfering, "But let me just say...." he stared even harder at his sister.

Serenity bit her lip harder as she awaited her scolding.......

"Let me just say dat you are da smartest girl I know!" He exclaimed as he felt proud of her inherited Kaiba-Hating gene. In fact, he was so proud of Serenity that he drew her in closer to wrap her in a hug.

Serenity simply smiled as she felt proud of herself, too.

While these two Wheelers were rejoicing in a moment of pride, they really couldn't notice those sounds coming from the house in the not too far distance....._Those sounds, those oh so familiar sounds........._

When Joey and Serenity Wheeler were able to reach their block that they lived on, they were able to get a good view of their house due to the fact that it was only the second house on the block from their point of view, and it had this really high gable that you could see from a few blocks away.

But it's fair to say that when they saw the vision of their house, they were a little awestruck by what they saw...

"What---is DAT?" Joey Wheeler pointed an excited/angered finger towards the shiny and elegant carriage that stood patiently in the front of their yards. It looked so black and sleek and smooth that it was....Well....it was better than anything Joey and Serenity ever expected to find in the front of their house.

"Cool! Are we rich now, brother?" Serenity asked excitedly as she looked about the grand vehicle which they thought was in their possession.

"I don't know," Joey mumbled as he lowered his finger. A bit weary as to why such a beautiful coach was waiting facing their house, and he was just a bit angered as to why he and his sister had to WALK home if their parents had finally bought a luxury vehicle when the weather was practically turning black in front of their eyes.

Joey's eyes darted suspiciously at the horseman who was sitting quietly atop his stoop, ignoring the children, reading the weekly edition of the newspaper.

Serenity's eyes widened as she stared at the lovely snow-white stallion that was the force of the wagon. It was really a marvel to see: It had unbelievably flaxen hair so much so that it emanated white, matching its fur wonderfully. It had deep, large, almond shaped eyes that Serenity wish she could get a better look at, but her brother warned her to stay away from the coach, and his brotherly grip on his sister became a strong grasp on her arm, forbidding her to go.

"I wanna ride it," Serenity breathed in awe. "Joey can we ride it, please? Oh, please?! Please? Please? Please? Please? Pleeeeasseeeeee?" She tugged on Joey's hand tightly as she tried to keep her stare from the majestic vehicle.

While Serenity thought the wagon as Majestic, Joey couldn't help but recall this coach as specious. A deceptively attractive cart that had no purpose being in front of the Wheeler household. This was not a cargo wagon for it seemed to charming for that purpose. They really had no rich relatives, so it was highly unlikely that the carriage was dropping someone off-

Joey's eyes widened as he thought of what the wagon's purpose was in front of the household. 

If it's not here to pick someone up, Joey thought as his eyes felt horror within them, _Then maybe it's....It's...picking someone up!_

"Excuse me---Sir!" Joey tried calling out to the driver, but he never got the chance for he immediately heard the footsteps of his mother and father hasting from inside the house, through the sunroom, and with a creak of the rickety door, his father came angrily outside.

Joey's eyes didn't look at his father's face directly to greet him politely. Instead they fearfully focused on the medium-sized black leather bag that Mr. Wheeler held so forcefully in his clasp.

Mrs. Wheeler followed her husband just as speedily as she anxiously looked over the carriage and children that were waiting outside. But, as quickly as she came out, she darted her attention to her husband who was now conversing with the carriage driver.

_The only vision that came into her mind as she looked upon her husband was the sight of a lovely heart being torn into two pieces, with Joey written on one piece, and Serenity written on the other....._

Although Serenity was just a child, even she could tell of the evident worry that was sprinkled over Mrs. Wheeler's face. Her eyes were raised, and her mouth was slightly open while it searched for the right words to use.

"Hey, mom, what's the carriage for?" Serenity asked, with a large smile on her face, out of the childhood curiosity that sparked within her every time she saw something new and marvelous.

Joey's increased the grip he had on his sister; although he, too, was curious about the carriage, he sincerely wished that Serenity had not asked that question.

Serenity's poor mother looked over at her children with tears apparently welling inside of her eyes. She couldn't bear to see her two loving children be so close when she knew that in a matter of moments, they'd be so far....

While Serenity and her mom had an almost staring contest with the expressions that they gave each other, Joey couldn't help but wonder what his father was doing: He was talking to the driver of the vehicle, and he was impertinently waving the bag he had in his hands---while one fist, unknown to Joey, was clenched into an intimidating weapon.

What's in dat bag? It seems so...heavy, Joey thought to himself carefully.

While Joey was lost in a moment of concentrated thought, Mrs. Wheeler couldn't help but stare at her two loving children that deeply cared for each other. It was then that she crouched on one knee and decided to call her daughter to her before Serenity, too, was taken away.....

"Come here, Serenity," Mrs. Wheeler told her daughter. And as obedient as she was sweet, Serenity quickly listened to her mother, let go of her brother's arm, and she ran over to her mother who was opening her arms widely to her.

Joey felt his sister let go of him, and he snapped back into reality just in time to see his mother envelop Serenity in an emotional hug. A bit baffled as to why his mother was holding onto Serenity as if she'd never see her again------

Joey was old enough to put the pieces together....

And that's when Joey stared with a fixed glare at his mother who was practically locking Serenity in a loving embrace while covering her with kisses and telling her how much she loved her.

On the other hand, Mr. Wheeler was obsessed with shaking that bag, which Joey decided to call a suitcase, vehemently while forcing directions into the cab driver's mind.

"Joey, Mom's calling you."

Joey looked over to see his mother's tear-stained face looking at Joey as if she were seeing him after a decade. She had Serenity wrapped in one of her arms, and as she knelt to the ground, Joey could easily see her silently calling out to him with the way her shining eyes were glistening.

Now, what good kid could honestly refuse such a look given to them by such a caring mother?

Joey couldn't, so he did go over to his mother. And although he walked to her hesitantly and suspiciously while keeping one still eye on his father, he couldn't help but want to cry when he saw his mother in such a condition.

"Come here, my son," Mrs. Wheeler told him as he came close enough for her to shroud him in a tender squeeze. "I love you so much," She whispered as she gently ruffled his soft blonde hair and embraced him with her only free arm left while she grasped Serenity in the other.

"I...er.....love ya, too, Mom." And although Joey did really mean what he had just said, his exceedingly curious couldn't help but wonder as to why she was acting so gentle, and why was she transforming her eyes into living waterfalls.

"I love you, Mom," Serenity cutely agreed with a purely innocent little smile on her face. She had no idea what was really going on. She believed nothing bad to be of her mother's tears, and she never thought twice about why her father was so aggressively rumbling that suitcase. Her young mind thought of nothing more than telling her mother that she loved her and endless fantasies about riding the pony that went along with the carriage. _She was brilliant in so many other ways, but why did she seem so clueless in this scenarios? _

"Don't ever forget how much I cherish you children," Mrs. Wheeler mumbled as she closed her eyes to prohibit any tears from leaving. She brought her children in closer to herself, and she kept on mumbling, "Don't ever forget...I love you."

The worry that was originally building inside of Serenity started to rise higher and higher like lava ready to emerge from the top of the volcano. But, using the childish heart that she had, she tried to and succeeded in eliminating that anxiousness.

"Joseph my boy! How would you like to take a ride with daddy?"

Now Joey had heard it.....Now Joey could finally link together the missing links that was the chain of his confusion.

  
  
Mr. Wheeler was done talking to the driver, and he was through in dangerously shaking that suitcase. Now he stood with a wry smile playing his lips and a lifeless yet heavy bag dangling from his left hand. He was standing right in front of the carriage, and he waited patiently, only about six feet away, for Joey's answer.... 

"No, no -- please don't. He's my only son, I'll do anything to keep him ---," Mrs. Wheeler broke into sobs as she buried her tear-bearing face into her son's pillowy blonde hair. Now even the young Serenity could fit some pieces of the puzzle.

"A ride to where?" Joey asked with eyebrows raised in angry interrogation. His father had completely ignored his mother's sobs and her recent plead to keep Joey. "Dad, where are we going?"

"Oh, just here and there! A little ride around the countryside. Bet you'd like that, eh my boy? You've never been in a real carriage too many times before, have you?" Mr. Wheeler grilled as he wrung his hands nervously together.

"Why isn't Mom going?" Joey almost instantly asked as soon as his father stopped explaining.

"Joey, don't go," His mother begged with weary eyes as Joey felt her hug on him increase tremendously. "Don't go with your father ¾ please."

"Mom?" Serenity asked as she saw a trio of tears fall to the earth and dampen the soil.

"Your mother isn't feeling well today, Joseph, and I was thinking about going into the meadow today to teach you how to fish for catfish by the stream," Mr. Wheeler lied as he deceitfully tried to pry Joey away from his mother's grip.

And the moment he finished weaving the links of web of lies, he showed Joey that he was sincere by opening the carriage door and gesticulating for Joey to enter by using a welcoming hand.

But, aside from the friendly gestures, Joey noticed something else: A large, bulky, filled to its capacity, no doubt a suitcase resting under one of the booths of seats. It was huge and it was stuffed so much so that it looked as if it were a balloon: Shiny, round, and ready to pop if anything else was dropped into it. It made the other suitcase that Mr. Wheeler was holding look nothing more than a puny and miniscule handbag.

"Serenity?" Joey asked his father.

"Oh, well I'm afraid that she will have to tend to her mother while we are away."

"But Dad, why can't Mom and Serenity come with us? You've always said that the country air makes ya feel betta'."

Mr. Wheeler gave his son a look of pure, evil hatred. He had never expected such resistance from his son for he always doubted Joey's intelligence level. _But was he wrong... _He didn't like the way Joey was stuck to his mother with so much devotion, and Serenity was starting to suspect a few things, too.

"Now Joey," Mr. Wheeler muttered impatiently, "Please get into the carriage, and I'll order another one for your mother and your sister-"

"Why can't they come with us? There's enough room in there," Joey interrupted as he himself started to hold his mother tighter.

"Well, we're gonna pack quite a few loads of fishing gear, son, so there really would be no room-"

"No, Joey, he's telling lies. He wants to take you away from me. Don't go...." Mrs. Wheeler whispered into Joey's hair as she cried into it some more. "Don't go!"

"Mom?" Serenity asked as she found herself, for some bizarre reason, wiping away tears from her small face.

"This is getting ridiculous!" And Mr. Wheeler made the move that changed this story's plot for a not-so-good direction. Yes, he did walk the few feet up to the poor and defenseless mother, and do you wanna know what that scumbag did?

DO YOU?

That cowardly man walked up to that frail woman, and he stole as swiftly as the flight of an eagle, the boy holding onto his mother. He simply came to her, and with one hasty move, he ripped the screaming boy from his wailing mother. He left the girl trembling with fear as she screamed her brother's name. And the mother was left to collapse as she felt her pillar of a son be torn away from her. She sat there, trying to mouth the syllables to his name, but all efforts proved to be futile........Joey Wheeler was slashed away from his mother, and the mother was slashed.

****

****

****

** "MOM! MOM! I WANT MOM!!!!" **He screamed and he begged, but nothing proved to work as the strong man tore his son away from the mother that he loved so much. Twitching like a breathless fish, he wiggled in his father's arms, but all his father kept saying was:

"You'll thank me for this one day, Joseph."

"JOEY! PLEASE WAIT! JOEY!! DAD DON'T GO---DON'T TAKE HIM AWAY!!!!" The Wheeler sister cried as large, bullet-sized tears came dripping down the poor thing's cheek. She stayed glued to her mother, but she cried as if knives were raining from the sky and spreading gore everywhere. If it wasn't for the fear that her mother would literally crumple down and die without the aid of Serenity, Serenity would've raced to the carriage and slammed the door on her father's hands to prevent him from taking her only brother away.

"No -- No....my son!" Mrs. Wheeler cried as she felt the power drain away from her body. **"My son...My only son!"**

**"MOM! SERENITY! HELP ME! I DON'T WANNA GO! MOM! SERENITY! PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!"**

Serenity was about to forget about her mother as she watched Joey be thrown into the carriage, but her mother pulled on her dress's sleeve, and mumbled:

"Don't go...He'll take you, too."

"MOM! SERENITY! HELP PLEASE!!!!" Joey cried as he furiously banged on the window of the carriage. For the first time in her life, Serenity saw her brother cry. He was releasing tears like rainwater gushing out of the gutter.

**"JOEY! DAD PLEASE WAIT!!!!!!!" **But everyone of Serenity's yelps seemed to have been rudely ignored by her own father as she clutched to her mother.

"MOM! SERENITY--HELP ME! PLEASE, I NEED YOUR HELP!" And as Joey cried and banged against the window, little did he notice or hear the crunching sound of the wheels starting to move against the gravel. Little did he see the gray and evil clouds above turn into a hideously vicious brown color......

**"JOEY!" **Mrs. Wheeler cried as she buried her face in her hands.

And as the wheels of the carriage started turning.....The carriage started to move at a slow pace at first, but it gradually increased with every inch that the wheel burned as it rolled along it's diameter.

And off the carriage went. With the mother crying, the daughter screaming, the boy hollering for help, and the father devilishly smirking in the carriage, the coach rode off and left a small trail of chomped gravel in its path....

**"JOEY!!!!" **Serenity didn't want to see her brother leave, so she did what she thought was the smartest thing to do: She left her weeping mother only to run into the middle of the road to find the carriage bumping itself into the dull horizon.

And as if the small Victorian village was sad to its Joey Wheeler depart in such an angry way, the dun sky started darting tears of rain.

Serenity felt these tears around her face. They felt cold and chilled her as they contrasted with the warm tears already flowing gently out of her eyes.

And this chill that Serenity felt as the rain hit her would not go away.....At least....Not for another ten years it wouldn't....

))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

It's not too late to delete this fic!

R/R if you liked that chapter.....If I continue, then they're only little kids in the next or poart of the next chapter!

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$Tootles

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$Celestial Night


	3. How Long Can Truth Be Hidden?

A Retrieved Reformation

Chapter Three: How Long Can Truth Be Hidden?

Author: Celestial Night

Date: May 27, 2004

Once again people, I don't own "A Retrieved Reformation!" O. Henry created it, and I'm just making a parody out of it!

Also, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! So don't sue me; you wouldn't get much money anyway....

And to those of you that reviewed, THANKS!!!

Sara: I wouldn't say that my story is all that good because it did receive only 12 reviews for two chapters...And anything that I write couldn't be really hard to come up with.... LOL Thanks for reviewing!

Luthien-Anwaman: Thank you! Joey/Mai can never hurt at all--That is SO true! Thanks for liking this fic and actually reviewing!

pisces071: You're forgiven, just make sure that you NEVER insult me and call me by Calista Bolidaman's name EVER again. :_Points finger to Bolidaman_: NOBODY wants to be confused with her........Thanks for reviewing!

DayDreamerz: You honestly don't want me to delete this fic?! Awwww....Thanks! LOL .

**moocow33: **Awwww....Thanks! Your review was really sweet! LOL :)

**Five reviews? Well, that's not so bad.......**

--::--

"Well, you really can't get much more divorced than that." Calista Bolidaman smirked as she stalked circles around the little tree stump that Serenity Wheeler was busy sobbing on.

"They're not divorced," Serenity muffled voice managed to speak back as she covered her reddish face with her tear-steamed hands.

"They're not?" Bolidaman asked with amusement in her voice. "Well then, correct me if I'm wrong, but your father, according to you, took your brother with a couple of black bags, and he took off in a mysterious carriage. Then, also according to you, your father did not return home last night and neither did Joey. And from what I heard directly from you....You saw neither your father nor your brother this morning.........And just a moment ago you were sobbing over the fact that you thought they were gone forever."

Serenity had to admit: If women were allowed roles in Law, Calista Bolidaman would make a lovely prosecutor...

Serenity took away the sweaty palms from her face. Although she hated to admit it, every little word that Calista spoke was of the same truth that came from her own mouth. But it was just the way that Calista made it sound so....awful that had Serenity feeling goosebumps form around her body. _Oh how they trickled with pain and caressed Serenity with such misery and woe....._

"That doesn't mean they're divorced." Serenity tried to reassure herself more than she tried to comeback at Bolidaman.

"I'll believe it when I see him waltz back into town," Bolidaman explained as she saw Serenity's teardrops ebb away from Serenity's chin.

"He is coming back; nobody ever said otherwise."

"Yes, well, when Joey Wheeler comes back to town, green pigs with emerald sweater vests on will be flying around in the sky."

If that's what Calista predicted, then would she be surprised as she saw what the weather in approximately ten years would be......

--::--

"And when the monster gets destroyed and is in Attack Mode, the life points get taken away from the players whose monster was destroyed," the young Yugi explained to his friends.

Just yesterday, Yugi was taken to his grandfather's new shop which specialized in the creation of a new card game, Duel Monsters.

Yugi, at first, had not the slightest interest in the game. But when his grandfather started to teach him this new wonder, Yugi started growing heavily fascinated with it. So, like a good grandfather would do, Yugi's grandfather gave Yugi a deck that he had painstakingly put together himself. And now, Yugi was out to teach his friends how to use the cards.

"Hmmmmm........I like the game; it sounds challenging, but-," Téa Gardner scowled as she saw these rather vicious-looking monsters. "They look--I mean the monsters--very mean."

Yugi looked at the monster, The Curse of Dragon, that he was holding, and he couldn't help but be proud of his deck. But then, Yugi started shuffling through his deck, and showed Téa the result of his search.

"It's called the Mystical Elf," Yugi explained.

"It's an improvement," Téa squinted her eyes a she mumbled this, "It's long hair kind of reminds me of Serenity---but just a little."

"Is the game hard to play?" Duke asked as he looked at all the words that were specially added to every card.

"Well, when my Grandpa was explaining it, it kinda seemed pretty complicated to understand." Yugi laughed sheepishly as he said this, "But I'm sure that we'll all become experts at this game."

Téa rolled her eyes. She was not the least bit interested in learning about this new game. (What she didn't want to tell Yugi was that she saw Seto Kaiba playing with the same type of cards last week, so she didn't wanna tell Yugi also that his "new" fad was really not that new at all.)

"The basic idea looks cool," Devlin mumbled a little too loudly, "But I think it looks boring." The future creator of Dungeon Dice Monsters couldn't help but miss the challenge in this game. (He **was** going to "enhance" the game in a few years anyway....)

"If it's complicated, then I'll bet that Joey will have a hard time understanding it!" Tristan laughed stupidly at his own joke, which was also said very stupidly. (What Tristan didn't know was that Joey's IQ was way higher than Tristan's!)

"Where is Joey, anyway?" Téa asked as she stared around, expecting an insult from the absent Joey.

Yugi shrugged. "I haven't seen him all day. He must be sick."

"Do you think he caught that virus that everybody else has been getting? You know....The one with the stomach flu?" Tristan supposed. "Hey! Do you think Serenity caught it too?"

"Maybe he is sick," Téa said as she stared around the boys' playground to get a good look at all the boys. "But still, maybe we should ask Serenity and make sure that he's ok."

So Téa walked barely a few feet to get a view of the young girls' playing court. It wasn't that big: It only had a small craft table and a little cherry tree by a puddle. Serenity shouldn't have been too hard to see.....

But unfortunately, Téa never got a good view of Serenity for all the young girls were huddled up in front of a tree stump. Either one of them could've been Serenity!

"Great!" Téa hissed as she put a hand up to her forehead. "All those girls are glued around one thing! How am I ever supposed-----"

Téa cut herself short. She had just realized something: True that Téa could not get a good individual view of Serenity from her position, but how hard could it be to find Serenity when all the girls wear huddled all together in one place?

So Téa was off again in a search for Serenity. All she had to do was walk like twenty feet or something because the court wasn't too far away...at all.

--::-- Meanwhile --::--

Mai Valentine was never too far away from the girls' court. She often stood beneath the shade of the playing ground's only cherry tree, and it was also often that she happened to hear everything that was going on.

But, she was extremely confused as to why a crowd of girls was forming in front of her very eyes. She wasn't too far from the crowd, but it was growing so big and so loud that she could barely decipher the words that any of the girls were saying.

**--::--**

Téa was running without any real worried thoughts in her mind toward the crowd of girls. _But that unsuspicious mind didn't last long....._

"What THE---," Téa gasped as she saw what figure was standing on top of the tree stump and was hovering over the heads of all the girls.

--::--

"Now everybody, don't feel too sympathetic towards the girl. Her father was a drunkard, and her brother no doubt was gonna come out the same way, too," Calista Bolidaman explained on behalf of Serenity as she looked over the tops of the girls' heads. "Now, I recommend that we teach this girl some proper etiquette to help her succeed in life, for we don't know how well her mother can raise---"

"Calista, may I ask whom you are talking about? And whoever you are talking about, I don't think that they appreciated the _wording_ that you chose, and that's only if you are telling the truth."

Mai Valentine was standing outside of the crowd, for she really couldn't get through the impenetrable barrier of girls. She was standing rather tall, and she looked very confident in what she was saying. _What really worried Mai was that Calista was talking about a girl's brother, and she desperately hoped that that girl was not Serenity._

Now, Calista had never been really talked to by a girl a few levels ahead of her, and she could never dream of being spoken to by probably the richest girl in the town, so all Calista could do was anxiously smile and mutter, "Umm...ummm....well the girl is...Ummm...."

"Honestly Calista Bolidaman! I've seen you use that motor mouth of yours much more enthusiastically before, so why are you acting so differently now?" Téa appeared right behind Mai, and she had a curious smirk upon her face. Téa was no stranger to Calista Bolidaman, for she was often there when Calista and Serenity were in a fight over a toy or something and Joey had to break it up. (And let's just say that Téa was no fan of this girl....)

Bolidaman scowled. It was one thing for a girl of stature like Mai Valentine to talk to her, but Téa Gardner was nothing more than a commoner to the Mighty Calista Bolidaman, and she did not like being talked to in such a disrespectable voice by a commoner.

"Well, if you must know," Calista snapped as her eyes went fiercely to Téa Gardner, "I don't think that you would honestly care about Serenity's-"

**_"SERENITY?!" _**Téa's and Mai's face went white for a second as they recalled what Bolidaman had said, and Téa was almost immediately reminded that Joey was not in school today.

"**MOVE**!" Mai ordered the girls as she forced her path through the thicket of the girls. The girls, being obedient and knowing when to respect their _:rich: _elders, immediately parted.

Mai's eyes widened as she saw the young girl sulking on the stoop in front of her. Poor Serenity was a wreck! She was sobbing uncontrollably while her hands, which were glued to her face, caught all the tears that were receding from her gentle, hazel eyes.

"Oh, Serenity!" Téa cried as she came up behind Mai. "What happened? Are you okay?" What Téa didn't realize was that Mai had a purpose in not asking those questions to Serenity for she knew that Serenity would start crying even more.

And like Mai had predicted, the instant Téa finished speaking the last syllable of "okay", Serenity started to frantically squirm her shoulders as she vibrated with the hysterical sobbing.

"There, there, Serenity. It will all be alright soon," Mai soothed as she came next to Serenity. "I don't know what's bothering you, but can I try to make you feel better?" Mai practically pushed Calista of the tree stump to make room for her to sit.

"Try all you want, but you can't make her feel better---unless, of course, you bring her brother back. But I think we all know that that's not gonna happen anytime soon," Calista mumbled as she gave a dirty little scowl to Mai for forcing her to leave her position on the stump.

"Calista," Téa snapped as her eyes rose forcefully to Bolidaman, "I think that it'd be best if you leaved right now."

**--::--**

"No fair! That coward decided not to come to school today? A Wheeler's a Wheeler......." Seto Kaiba trailed off. He was happily looking about the boys' playground earlier, but his ready-to-hurt spirits were crushed when he noticed that that stupid New York accent was nowhere in earshot, and that Joey Wheeler's body was not capable of being seen anywhere. _Too bad....Kaiba really wanted to hurt Joey today......_

Once again he scanned the grounds of any sign of Wheeler. It wasn't fair that Joey had decided to play hooky the very day that Kaiba had planned to beat his face in. _Oh well! There was always a tomorrow in Seto Kaiba's mind, but boy was he wrong......_

".....Yeah she was crying terribly!"

"I know....I think their parents got a divorce..."

"Is that why her brother's not in school today?"

"I don't know. Who's her brother?"

"I don't know; I thought you would know who her brother was."

"Her name's Serenity, that's all I know. And about her brother....."

"Serenity? Serenity what?"

"I don't know...It started with a V or a W or something--"

"Do we know her?"

"I don't think so. She's pretty young and her brother's a level below us."

Two girls happened to be talking and gossiping as they passed by Kaiba on his little hunt. Now this news changed Kaiba's perspective about the whole Joey playing hooky thing.....He wasn't one to eavesdrop, but those gossiping gits were talking so loudly they made it impossible for the whole school not to hear.

The only Serenity that Kaiba knew was Joey's sister....

And her last name began with a W....And W was a letter that one of the girls has guessed began the girl's last name....

And those girls looked just about a grade or two ahead of Joey.......

Ooooooooo....Did someone get a divorce? Kaiba just had to find this out for himself....

--::--

Kaiba arrived at the scene of the huddled girls just in time to see Téa Gardner, not too far away from whatever commotion was taking place by the tree trunk, explain everything that was happening to Yugi, Tristan, and Duke.

Eavesdropping and sneaky ways being his specialty, that sly Seto Kaiba found his way around the crowd of girls, and almost used the huddled girls as a cover for a vantage point so that he could spy on the Nerd Squad.

"And...and....and...." Téa wiped a tear away from her left cheek, "According to Calista, they got a divorce and Joey went with his father!"

"Well, where did his father go?" Tristan asked in an appalled voice.

"You idiot!" Yugi exclaimed as his eyes went big with pain for losing his best friend, "If they knew that----" It was really no use: Yugi felt the loss of best friend too massive to even scold Tristan. "Téa," Yugi pleaded, "Are you **sure** about this?"

"Yeah! Are you sure that that witty little Bolidaman isn't just fooling us?" Devlin asked.

"But...guys," Téa sighed as more tears formed a film in her eyes, "Serenity was seriously crying, and Joey's not in school today......And...and...I wish Joey were here!" It was no use, Téa started to cry. Though her waterworks were nowhere near as heavy as the tears that Serenity was releasing, they glistened her face with sticky and salty liquid.

"**JOEY!.......**" Yugi moaned as he thought about never seeing his best friend ever again. He looked up to the sky and thought about Joey being away from all of them.

"I'm gonna miss him," Devlin and Tristan said in unison as they bowed their heads to the ground.

Now any fool, in Kaiba's mind, could've easily solved the puzzle of what was going on. Those muffled noises coming from the heart of the crowd must've been the sobs of Serenity losing her brother. And Joey must not have come because he was taken away with his father, which was usually done in divorces during the Victorian Era.

As much as he tried to concentrate and get rid of the anger bulging up inside of him for Wheeler leaving without his due beating, he could not ignore Serenity's crying. First of all, it was way too loud. And also, her crying kept triggering thoughts in Kaiba's mind about losing his own little brother. _And although ten years from now he'll deny it with every figment of his being, he actually felt sorry for her, and he actually compared his feelings to hers for a second...._

--::--

"But Mai! He might never come back!!!" Serenity cried as her shoulders shivered in pain and chills.

"No, no, Serenity! Now you're starting to talk like Calista. I'm sure that he's gonna come back sooner or later. I mean, how long can he stand to be apart from such a wonderful sister as you? Hmmmmm? You gotta keep your optimism up!" Mai put a soothing arm around Serenity's shoulders as Mai tried herself to keep her hopes up......

"You really think that, Mai?" Serenity's muffled voice asked Yugi, Téa, Tristan, Duke, and Bolidaman appeared on all sides of the tree stump.

"No......" Bolidaman coughed as she once again started walking circles around the stump.

"Of course I do," Mai said in the best cheerful voice that she could pull off in the state of sadness that she was in.

"Joey will be back!" Téa exclaimed, "I'd bet my life on it."

"Yeah, it's not like Joey to stay away for too long. Before you know it, he'll be walking back into town with that same old smile on his face," Yugi said as softly patted Serenity's shoulders.

Tristan and Duke nodded their heads to show Serenity that they had no doubt that Joey Wheeler's arrival back into the city of Domino wouldn't take long.

"Of course he'll be back!" Yugi and co. turned their heads to see the wealthiest kid in the city standing a good two meters away, nodding his head with that sly little smirk on his face. "I have no doubt, unless he's a coward and is gonna run away and never come back because he's afraid that I'm still gonna beat his face in."

"Oh, look Calista: _Seto _believes that Joey's gonna come back too! Now, what were you saying about the likelihood about Joey coming back to town?" Téa asked, making Calista feel stupid that she had ever coughed "No".

Calista blushed deeply as she mentally cursed out Téa. "It's possible that he'll come back one day......" She mumbled in a hertz close to the negatives.

"And when Joey comes back, we'll see that lovely smile of yours again, Serenity," Mai said as she pulled off the best smile that she could while holding Serenity's shoulders. _'Joey come back! Your **sister** needs you here! Your **friends** need you! Kaiba needs to beat you up! **I** need you here!_ _You can't possibly run away from all these things, can you? You were never one to run away......'_

--::--

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--::--TEN YEARS LATER--::--

TEN YEARS LATER......

Dear Sheriff Seto Kaiba:

Nearly a month ago, the famous vault-opener Jounounchi was seen fleeing the city of Little Rock. The night guardsmen saw him skipping rooftops over the city's bank/financial zone. According to the guardsmen, he crossed city limits and was able to slip from our sights completely. To our knowledge, the bandit ran east, but, unfortunately, we miscalculated.

I am writing you this letter to inform you that three of the cities _west_ of Little Rock have been pilfered for their most prominent bank's vaults have been found opened with not a trace of what used to be originally in them. The cities' banks that have been pilfered are all aligned in a sort of vertical line, and, if my hypothesis is correct, then your city of Domino is soon to be attacked by this bandit.

Because this thief has only committed crimes at night, policemen and other local and federal authorities have only been able to get this description: Blonde hair, and a height of six feet and two inches (6' 2'').

Keep your city on alert, and I trust that you shall not be bothered by this criminal. Make your that you bank is almost always watched from all sides of teh perimeter, including the rooftop.

I know that you will succeed in protecting your fair city.

Sincerely,

Maximillion Pegasus,

Chief of Police of Little Rock

**--::--**

Meanwhile, a handsome blonde-haired man stood outside of the gate that read:

**City of Domino**

He looked at the sign with some respectability in his eyes, like he was remembering something that was emotionally significant. _Flashbacks spun like an old film in his mind when he glanced at the copper-plated, emerald green city sign._

He raised the brim of his hat from over his face so that the sun gave a sparkle to his rich brown eyes.

"It's been ten years," he breathed with a gracious smile, "But Joey Wheeler's back in town!"

**--::----::----::----::----::----::----::----::--** **--::--**

I hope you liked that chapter! You'll see why I made Kaiba the sheriff soon.

It's still not too late for me to delete this fic! Should I?

Tootles,

Celestial Night


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